Rosa Mendes
Ring name(s)	Milena Roucka[1] Roucka Rosa Mendes
Billed height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Billed weight	125 lb (57 kg)[1]
Born	(1979-10-25) October 25, 1979 (age 32)[1] Vancouver, British Columbia[1]
Resides	Las Vegas, Nevada[3]
Billed from	San Jose, Costa Rica[2] San Juan, Puerto Rico
Trained by	OVW Staff[1] FCW Staff[4]
Debut	November 2006[1]
Website	http://www.rosasource.com

Milena Leticia Roucka^[1] (born October 25, 1979)^[1] is a Canadian professional wrestler, valet, and former model of Czech and Costa Rican descent. She is signed to WWE, and works as Rosa Mendes on the SmackDown brand. Her last name is pronounced roh-tskah.

Roucka studied business at the University of British Columbia, but left to pursue a modeling career. She won several competitions, including the 2004 Piel Dorada, and also acted in commercials.

In mid-2006, Roucka participated in the 2006 edition WWE Diva Search. Despite finishing fourth, she was hired by WWE, and assigned to train in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) using the ring name 'Roucka'. On September 19, 2007, Roucka won the OVW Women's Championship, which she held for five months until February 20, 2008. The following month, Roucka transferred to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's new developmental territory.

In November 2008, Roucka began appearing on Raw, where she became associated with Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella. The following October, she was moved to the ECW brand and started an on-screen relationship with Zack Ryder, who she began to manage. The pair returned to the Raw brand in February 2010, and Mendes was drafted to SmackDown in April. In November, Mendes won the Queen of FCW title in FCW, and held it until February 2011.

Modeling and acting career[link]

Roucka studied Business at the University of British Columbia, but dropped out to pursue a career in modeling. In 2004, she won the "Piel Dorada," one of the biggest Latin American based modeling contests, becoming the first North American to win.^[5] The following year, she won Hawaiian Tropic's Ms. Indy 500 contest, and acted as a judge at the Hawaiian Tropic Ms. Super Bowl.^[6] She also acted in Costa Rican commercials for Trident, Lux soap, and Chrysler throughout 2004.^[5][6] She starred in a Bodog.com commercial in 2005.^[6]

She also portrayed Isabel Díaz in Need for Speed: Most Wanted^[7]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Diva Search (2006)[link]

In mid-2006, Roucka participated in the auditions for the third installment of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Diva Search Contest and reached the final eight. Roucka won the first round as it was a dance competition.^[5][8] A few days after her elimination, on August 24, WWE signed her to a developmental contract, along with Maryse Ouellet, who had also been eliminated from the competition.^[5][9]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2008)[link]

Roucka was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's developmental territory. She debuted as a heel (villainous character), using the ring name Roucka, and served as the valet for the Bad Kompany faction, managing the members Mike Kruel, Shawn Osborne and Eddie Craven. In early 2007, she participated in the 'Miss OVW Contest'.^[10] She was in the corner of Kruel when he defeated Boris Alexiev to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship in February.^[10] She made her in-ring debut on March 24, when she lost to Jennifer Mae.^[10] Later that night, she teamed up with Beth Phoenix, Katie Lea and Melody in a losing effort to the team of ODB, Serena, Victoria Crawford, and Maryse.^[10] Throughout mid-2007, she competed against wrestlers including Crawford, Phoenix, Lea, and ODB.^[10] In June, Roucka unsuccessfully challenged ODB for the OVW Women's Championship.^[10] Three months later, on September 19, Roucka won a six-way match to capture the OVW Women's Championship.^[10][11] After winning the championship, she began to feud with Lea, defeating her in non-title matches on several occasions.^[10] In November, Lea and Atlas DaBone defeated Roucka and Kruel in a mixed tag team match.^[10] At the television tapings on December 12, she defeated Lea in a "kiss my foot match" to retain the championship.^[10] In January 2008, Lea defeated Roucka in a non-title match.^[12] In early February, WWE decided to no longer use OVW as a developmental territory.^[12] After holding the championship for five months, Roucka lost it to Lea on February 20.^[11][12] Roucka's final OVW appearance was on February 29, where she teamed with Josie in a loss to Melody and Reggie.^[12]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2008-2011)[link]

In March 2008, she debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's new developmental territory, by teaming with Nicole Bella in a loss to Nattie Neidhart and Victoria Crawford.^[4] The following month, Roucka began feuding with The Bella Twins, which continued throughout mid-2008.^[4] In June, Roucka and Brad Allen defeated Brianna Bella and Lupo Martinez in a mixed tag team match, and in July Roucka and Allen defeated Johnny Curtis and Brianna.^[4] This was the beginning of an association with Allen, and Roucka began managing him.^[4] In August, she allied herself with Alicia Fox and Daisy and continued to feud with The Bellas, who had joined forces with Tiffany.^[4] She continued to compete in FCW throughout the remainder of the year, wrestling against Fox, Daisy, and Miss Angela.^[4] In January 2009, Roucka changed her ring name to 'Rosa Mendes', following her debut on Raw under that name.^[13] After Angela was crowned the Queen of FCW in February, Mendes immediately began to feud with her over the crown, attacking Angela on several occasions.^[13] She teamed with Kaleb O'Neal and Lawrence Knight in a loss to Eric Escobar, Sweet Papi Sanchez and Angela in a six-person mixed tag team match, and later lost to Angela in a singles match.^[13] Mendes gained a measure of revenge in a rematch in June, when she defeated Angela.^[13] During this time, she had become associated with FCW General Manager Abraham Washington, appearing alongside him on several occasions.^[13] Throughout late 2009 and most of 2010, she appeared only sporadically in FCW.^[13][14] In November 2010, Mendes unsuccessfully challenged Naomi for the FCW Divas Championship at a house show.^[14] Later that month, at the November 25 television tapings, Rosa Mendes pinned AJ to become crowned the newest Queen of FCW.^[15] She lost the title to Aksana on February 3, 2011.^[16]

Raw and association with Beth Phoenix (2008–2009)[link]

Mendes (right) with Beth Phoenix in 2009

On the November 24, 2008 episode of Raw, Roucka appeared as a planted fan holding a sign proclaiming she was the then-WWE Women's Champion Beth Phoenix's number one fan. For a few weeks after that she was continually shown in the crowd holding signs supporting Phoenix.^[2] On the December 22 episode of Raw Santino Marella introduced her as Rosa Mendes, and the following week, Mendes jumped from the crowd and attacked the new number one contender, Melina, to help Phoenix during a fight.^[17] The next week, Stephanie McMahon declared that Mendes had been banned from WWE events after she attacked Melina again.^[18] Mendes evaded the ban, however, by disguising herself as a paparazzo during Melina's entrance and attacked her again.^[19] On January 19, on Raw, Marella announced that he had hired Mendes to be his and Phoenix's intern, to which Phoenix agreed a week later.^[20][21] On the March 30 episode of Raw, Mendes made her in-ring debut in an 18-Diva tag team match, which her team lost.^[22] On April 5, Mendes competed in a Divas battle royal at WrestleMania XXV, but the match was won by Santina Marella.^[23] On the June 11 episode of WWE Superstars, Mendes got her first televised win when she teamed with Beth Phoenix against The Bella Twins, and she made her singles debut in a loss to Mickie James on the June 15 episode of Raw. Mendes got her second televised win when she teamed with Alicia Fox in a winning effort due to Fox pinning Kelly Kelly^[22][24][25] On the July 27 episode of Raw, Mendes teaming up with Alicia Fox and Beth Phoenix in a losing effort to Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly.^[26] On the August 31 episode of Raw, Mendes had her first opportunity for the WWE Divas Championship in number one contenders battle royal but was eliminated by Beth Phoenix after Gail Kim pushed Mendes into her. In August 2009 she began to manage Carlito, with her association with Beth Phoenix being quietly phased out.^[27]

ECW and relationship with Zack Ryder (2009–2010)[link]

On October 12, 2009, WWE's official website announced that Mendes had been traded from Raw to the ECW brand.^[28] She debuted on ECW on the October 20 episode, in a backstage segment with the ECW General Manager, Tiffany welcoming her to ECW.^[29] On the November 3 episode of ECW she began a storyline with Zack Ryder, who became infatuated with her, distracting him from his matches.^[30][31] On the November 25 episode of ECW, Mendes began a storyline relationship with Ryder, and began managing him.^[32][33][34] On the final episode of ECW on February 16, 2010, Ryder and Mendes interfered in the main event match, but Mendes was speared by Tiffany.^[35] It was announced on the February 25, 2010 episode of Superstars that Ryder and Mendes had moved to the Raw brand.^[36] She made her in-ring return for the brand on the April 5 episode of Raw, when she competed in a Divas Battle Royal to determine the new number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship but was won by Eve Torres.^[37]

SmackDown (2010–2011)[link]

Mendes at a house show in 2009

Three weeks later on April 27, Mendes was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2010 Supplemental Draft, without Zack Ryder.^[38] Despite this, Mendes accompanied Zack Ryder on the April 29 edition of WWE Superstars in a winning effort against Primo.^[39] She was defeated by Beth Phoenix in her first match for the brand on WWE Superstars the following week. On the May 14 edition of SmackDown!, Rosa was scheduled to face Beth Phoenix in her first match for the WWE Women's Championship, however Vickie Guerrero replaced Rosa with Team LayCool.^[40] In her debut match on SmackDown, she lost to Kelly Kelly.^[41] In June 2010, Rosa Mendes requested to join the team of LayCool, who refused her request and instead mocked her.^[42] As a result, Rosa Mendes was shown exercising in several backstage segments in an attempt to follow LayCool's advice over the next few months, and even cost Layla a match when she was distracted her by skipping rope at ringside while trying to impress LayCool.^[43][44][45] On the September 17 edition of SmackDown, Rosa Mendes turned face when she teamed with Kelly Kelly in a loss to LayCool.^[46] Her next appearance on SmackDown was over a month later, when she participated in an eight-Diva Halloween costume competition. A brawl broke out, resulting in an eight-Diva tag team match which Rosa Mendes' team lost, when she was pinned by Kelly Kelly.^[47] In late 2010, Rosa Mendes was consigned to backstage segments with various wrestlers, including Kane and Hornswoggle.^[48][49] In December 2010, WWE's official website, WWE.com, announced that Rosa Mendes had won a Slammy Award for the Best Use of Exercise Equipment.

On the February 25, 2011 edition of Smackdown, Rosa won her first televised singles match win against Layla via DQ after Michelle McCool attacked her on the outside.^[50] On the April 24 edition of SmackDown's "Wrestlemania Tour" Rosa became a heel after accompanying Layla to the ring for her match despite being defeated by Beth Phoenix with Kelly Kelly as the Special Guest Referee. Rosa teamed with Layla in a losing effort to Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix. On the June 3 edition of SmackDown, Rosa managed Alicia Fox and Tamina when they defeated The Chickbusters (AJ and Kaitlyn).^[51] On the July 15 edition of SmackDown, she lost to the Divas Champion Kelly Kelly in a non-title match, despite being accompanied by Fox.^[52] On the August 1 edition of Raw, Rosa competed in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Divas Championship at SummerSlam, which was won by Beth Phoenix.^[53] On the October 31, "Halloween" edition of Raw, Rosa was in a "Divas Halloween Costume" battle royal dressed as a cave woman. As the match began, Rosa was first eliminated by Natalya.^[54] In November, Rosa still as heel, she began an association with Primo and Epico, which started on WWE Superstars. On the November 29 edition of SmackDown, Rosa competed in a "Mistletoe on a Pole" match, which was won by Brie Bella; who won the right to kiss any superstar of her choice.

Managing Primo and Epico (2011–present)[link]

Mendes with clients and Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico.

On November 17, 2011, edition of WWE Superstars Mendes began managing Primo and Epico after accompanying the two in their match against the Usos. On the December 1, edition of WWE Superstars Rosa Mendes accompanied Primo, alongside Epico, in his match against Kofi Kingston. On December 8, Mendes accompanied Epico in his match against Evan Bourne with Primo. On the December 15 edition of WWE Superstars, Mendes accompanied Primo and Epico in their match against Air Boom, and celebrated with them after the match. At the TLC pay-per-view she accompanied Primo and Epico to their WWE Tag Team Championship match against Air Boom, but were unsuccessful in winning the titles.

On January 15, at a Live Event in Oakland, California, Rosa accompanied Primo and Epico as they defeated Air Boom to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time. On April 30 edition of Raw Primo and Epico lost their titles to R-Truth and Kofi Kingston.^[55]. On May 3 it was announced that Rosa alongside Epico and Primo have signed to a business contract with A.W^[56] On May 18, Mendes was involved in a car accident that caused her whiplash.^[57]

Personal life[link]

Roucka grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is of Czech and Costa Rican descent.^[5][58] Roucka was a self-described "tomboy" growing up, and was once suspended from school for fighting.^[8] She is trained in kickboxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.^[9] Roucka cites Trish Stratus as her inspiration for wanting to be a wrestler. Roucka has a Chinese tattoo which consist of adorned with wings and a halo, on the right side of her waist.^[58] In an interview on September 2, 2009, wrestler Dave Batista said that he had previously dated Roucka.^[59]

In wrestling[link]

• Signature moves
  • Flower Fall^[60] (Sidewalk slam)^[60]
  • Flower Suplex^[60] (Snap suplex)^[60]
  • Schoolgirl^[60]
  • Mat backbreaker^[60]

• Managers
  • Alicia Fox^[51]
  • A.W^[56]

• Wrestlers managed
  • Bad Kompany (Mike Kruel, Shawn Osborne, and Eddie Craven)^[1]
  • Jay Bradley^[10]
  • Brad Allen^[4]
  • Glamarella (Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix)^[61]
  • Carlito^[27]
  • Zack Ryder^[34]
  • Layla El^[51]
  • Alicia Fox^[51]
  • Hornswoggle
  • Tamina^[51]
  • Epico^[62]
  • Primo^[62]

• Entrance themes
  • "Feelin' Me" by Kynady Lee (FCW)^[1]
  • "Excess All Areas" by Jim Johnston
  • "Barcode" by Jack Elliot (WWE; November 17,2011 – present) (while managing Primo and Epico)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Florida Championship Wrestling
  • Queen of FCW (1 time)^[15]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Women's Championship (1 time)^[11]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked her #43 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008^[63]

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • Slammy Award for Best Use of Exercise Equipment (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rosa Mendes

• Official website
• Rosa Mendes on Twitter
• WWE profile
• Rosa Mendes at the Internet Movie Database
• Online World of Wrestling profile

Djedet (ḏd.t) in hieroglyphs

Mendes
An object unearthed in Mendes
Mendes Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 30°57′30″N 31°30′57″E / 30.95833°N 31.51583°E / 30.95833; 31.51583Coordinates: 30°57′30″N 31°30′57″E / 30.95833°N 31.51583°E / 30.95833; 31.51583
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Dakahlia Governorate
Time zone	EST (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

Mendes (Μένδης), the Greek name of the Ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in Ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet ("The Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet") and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba (Arabic: تل الربع‎).

The city is located in the eastern Nile delta (30°57′30″N 31°30′57″E / 30.95833°N 31.51583°E / 30.95833; 31.51583) and was the capital of the 16th Lower Egyptian nome of Kha, until it was replaced by Thmuis in Greco-Roman Egypt. The two cities are only several hundred meters apart. During the 29th dynasty, Mendes was also the capital of Ancient Egypt, which lies on the Mendesian branch of the Nile (now silted up), about 35 km east of al-Mansurah.

History[link]

In ancient times, Mendes was a famous city that attracted the notice of most ancient geographers and historians, including Herodotus (ii. 42, 46. 166), Diodorus (i. 84), Strabo (xvii. p. 802), Mela (i. 9 § 9), Pliny the Elder (v. 10. s. 12), Ptolemy (iv. 5. § 51), and Stephanus of Byzantium (s. v.). The city was the capital of the Mendesian nome, situated at the point where the Mendesian arm of the Nile (Μενδήσιον στόμα, Scylax, p. 43; Ptol. iv, 5. § 10; Mendesium ostium, Pliny, Mela, ll. cc.) flows into the lake of Tanis. Archaeological evidence attests to the existence of the town at least as far back as the Naqada II period. Under the first Pharaohs, Mendes quickly became a strong seat of provincial government and remained so throughout the Ancient Egyptian period. In Classical times, the nome it governed was one of the nomes assigned to that division of the native army which was called the Calasires, and the city was celebrated for the manufacture of a perfume designated as the Mendesium unguentum. (Plin. xiii. 1. s. 2.) Mendes, however, declined early, and disappears in the first century AD; since both Ptolemy (l. c.) and P. Aelius Aristides (iii. p. 160) mention Thmuis as the only town of note in the Mendesian nome. From its position at the junction of the river and the lake, it was probably encroached upon by their waters, after the canals fell into neglect under the Macedonian kings, and when they were repaired by Augustus (Sueton. Aug. 18, 63) Thmuis had attracted its trade and population.

Religion[link]

The chief deities of Mendes were the ram deity Banebdjedet (lit. Ba of the Lord of Djedet), who was the Ba of Osiris, and his consort, the fish goddess Hatmehit. With their child Har-pa-khered ("Horus the Child"), they formed the triad of Mendes.

The ram deity of Mendes was described by Herodotus in his History^[1] as being represented with the head and fleece of a goat: “...whereas anyone with a sanctuary of Mendes or who comes from the province of Mendes, will have nothing to do with (sacrificing) goats, but uses sheep as his sacrificial animals... They say that Heracles’ overriding desire was to see Zeus, but Zeus was refusing to let him do so. Eventually, as a result of Heracles’ pleading, Zeus came up with a plan. He skinned a ram and cut off his head, then he held the head in front of himself, wore the fleece, and showed himself to Heracles like that. That is why the Egyptian statues of Zeus have a ram’s head, is why rams are sacred to the Thebans, and they do not use them as sacrificial animals. However there is just one day of the year—the day of the festival of Zeus--when they chop up a single ram, skin it, dress the statue of Zeus in the way mentioned, and then bring the statue of Heracles up close to the statue of Zeus. Then everyone around the sanctuary mourns the death of the ram and finally they bury it in a sacred tomb.”

Presumably following Herodotus' description, the occultist Eliphas Levi in his Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1855) called his goat-headed conception of Baphomet the "Baphomet of Mendes", thus popularizing and perpetuating this incorrect attribution, which has given rise to a flood of spurious connections, such as "The Goat of Mendes" by the blackened death metal band Akercocke.

Ruins[link]

The site is today the largest surviving tell in the Nile delta, and consists of both Tell El-Ruba (the site of the main temple enclosure) and Tell El-Timai (the settlement site of Thmuis to the south). Overall, Mendes is about 3 km long from north to south and averages about 900m east-to-west. An Old Kingdom necropolis is estimated to contain over 9,000 interments. Several campaigns of 20th-century excavations have been led by North American institutions, including New York University and the University of Toronto, as well as a Pennsylvania State University team led by Donald Redford. Under the direction of Prof. Redford, the current excavations are concentrating on a number of areas in and around the main temple. Work on the New Kingdom processional-style temple has recently uncovered foundation deposits of Merenptah below the second pylon. It is thought that four separate pylons or gates existed for each of the Avatars of the main deity worshiped here. Evidence has suggested that their construction dates from at least the Middle Kingdom, as foundation deposits were uncovered. The original structures were buried, added to, or incorporated into later ones over time by later rulers. Billy Morin, recently at University of Cambridge in England and now at Leiden University in the Netherlands led a team that investigated these further and uncovered several mud-brick walls acting as pylons and their foundations . Over thirty of the bricks were stamped with the cartouche of Menkheperre, the pre-nomen of Thutmose III. A cemetery of sacred rams was discovered in the northwest corner of Tell El-Ruba. Monuments bearing the names of Ramesses II, Merneptah. and Ramesses III were also found. A temple attested by its foundation deposits was built by Amasis. The tomb of Nepherites I, which Donald Reford concluded was destroyed by the Persians,^[2] was discovered by a joint team from the University of Washington and the University of Toronto in 1992-1993. On the edge of the temple mound, a sondage supervised by Matthew J. Adams has revealed uninterrupted stratification from the Middle Kingdom down to the First Dynasty. Coring results suggest that future excavations in that sondage should expect to take the stratification down into the Buto-Maadi Period. The material excavated so far is already the longest uninterrupted stratification for all of the Nile Delta, and possibly for all of Egypt.^[3]

Notes[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)

• Redford, Donald Bruce. 2001. "Mendes". In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, edited by Donald Bruce Redford. Vol. 2 of 3 vols. Oxford, New York, and Cairo: Oxford University Press and The American University in Cairo Press. 376–377.
• ———. 2004. Excavations at Mendes. Volume 1: The Royal Necropolis. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 20. Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill. ISBN 90-04-13674-6
• ———. 2005. "Mendes: City of the Ram God." Egyptian Archaeology: The Bulletin of the Egyptian Exploration Society 26:8–12.
• Baines & Malek 2000: Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt, Checkmarks Books. ISBN 0-8160-4036-2
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. 
• http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/d/b/dbr3/mendes.html
• Adams, Matthew J. 2009. “An Interim Report on the Naqada III – First Intermediate Period Stratification at Mendes,” Delta Reports 1 (2009) 121–206.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mendes, Egypt

• The Great Mendes Stela
• Egyptian Monuments: Tell el-Rub'a
• Djed

Justin Gabriel
Ring name(s)	Justin Angel[1] Justin Gabriel[1] Paul Lloyd[2] Paul Lloyd, Jr.[2] PJ Black[2]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Billed weight	223 lb (101 kg)[3]
Born	(1981-03-03) March 3, 1981 (age 31)[2] Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa[2]
Billed from	Cape Town, South Africa[3]
Trained by	Paul Lloyd, Sr.[2] Steve Debbes[2] Alex Shane[2] Mark Sloan[2] Florida Championship Wrestling[2]
Debut	1997[2]

Paul Lloyd, Jr.^[2] (born March 3, 1981)^[2] is a second-generation South African professional wrestler. He is signed with WWE, and performs on the SmackDown brand under the name Justin Gabriel.^[1][2] He was a contestant in the first season of WWE NXT, where he finished third, before joining The Nexus stable on Raw.^[3] He has held the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Heath Slater on three occasions.^[4][5][6] He is also a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.^[7]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early career[link]

Lloyd made his professional wrestling debut at the age of 16 and was originally trained by his father Paul Lloyd, Sr., a promoter and wrestler in South Africa who also went by the ring name "The Pink Panther".^[2] His grandfather was a professional boxer and amateur wrestler.^[2] Lloyd grew up watching his father wrestle and in the early part of his training he used to practice in the backyard of his home, in which two rings were positioned. Lloyd went by the ring name PJ Black. He formed a regular tag team with Ray Leppan (who went by the name Presley Jackson, now known as Dameon Duke) called Pure Juice.^[2] During Lloyd's final year in high school, his father died, and a year later, he moved to the United Kingdom for five years.^[8][9]

United Kingdom and South Africa (2000–2008)[link]

Lloyd spent five years in the United Kingdom, where he trained with the FWA Academy as well as acquiring diplomas in Graphic Web Design, Personal Training, Sports Nutrition and Body Massage. He was trained by Alex Shane and Mark Sloan. In 2003 he made his FWA debut. He also made an appearance in International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom.^[8]

In 2006, he returned to South Africa and wrestled for World Wrestling Professionals (WWP), which is nationally televised on SABC 2 in South Africa and Colours TV in India with the shows WWP Thunderstrike and 100% De Dhana Dhan, respectively.^[8] His most notable feuds during his tenure in WWP were against Tornado, Dameon Duke, Mikey Whiplash and Joe E. Legend. On November 1, 2007, Black became the promotion's inaugural World Cruiserweight Champion, by defeating The Playa in a match to determine the inaugural champion.^[10] After holding the championship for 13 days, he lost it to The Lizard on November 14.^[10] He then declared his intentions to compete in WWP's heavyweight division.^[10]

Lloyd challenged unsuccessfully for the WWP World Heavyweight Championship against Joe E Legend on a WWP Thunderstrike episode that aired on January 10, 2009. During the match he suffered minor burns to the face after a fireball spot did not go as originally planned and he had to be treated at a local hospital. His final match in South Africa took place on November 8, 2008 at WWP's bi-annual Carnival City Casino show, where he was defeated by Terri Middoux in front of a record attendance.^[11]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2010)[link]

Angel as the FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion in January 2010.

In 2008, Lloyd signed a three-year developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), becoming the first South African person to do so. He was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory, where he made his debut under his real name on February 5, in a loss to Kaval.^[12] His first win in FCW came the following week, when he teamed with Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta to defeat Tyler Reks, Johnny Curtis, and DJ Gabriel in a six-man tag team match.^[12] The following month, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Angel'.^[12] He went on to wrestle against DH Smith, Barreta, Yoshitatsu, and Lance Hoyt over the next few months.^[12] In June, he formed a tag team with Kris Logan, with the pair defeating DJ Bariel and Vic Adams in their debut match as a team.^[12] They quickly began to feud with The Dude Busters of Barreta and Croft, losing to them in several championship matches over the next month.^[12] At the July 23, 2009 tapings of FCW's television show, Angel and Logan defeated Barreta and Croft to become the Florida Tag Team Champions.^[7] They lost the championship on the same night to The Rotundos (Bo and Duke).^[7]

Following the loss of the championship, Angel and Logan dissolved as a tag team, with Angel returning to singles competition. He went on a winning streak throughout August, defeating Alex Riley, Vance Archer, and Sheamus.^[12] Angel won the Florida Heavyweight Championship from Heath Slater in a two out of three falls match at the September 24, 2009 television tapings.^[2][7] He successfully defended the championship against Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, Slater, and Curt Hawkins throughout late 2009.^[12] In February 2010, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Gabriel' to conincide with his appearances on NXT. Further successful championship defenses occurred in early 2010, against competitors including Hawkins, Barreta, and Kaval.^[13] After a near six-month reign, Gabriel lost the championship at the March 18 television tapings, when Alex Riley won a three-way match, which also included Wade Barrett.^[7][13] Gabriel lost a rematch to Riley on March 31 and again on May 20.^[13] In May, he started a feud with fellow South African Leo Kruger over who was the better wrestler.^[13] On June 10, Gabriel beat Kruger, but Kruger reversed the result in a rematch at the July 1 television tapings, which was Gabriel's final appearance in FCW.^[13]

NXT (2010)[link]

On February 16, 2010, it was announced that Angel was going to be competing on the first season of WWE NXT, under the name Justin Gabriel, with Matt Hardy as his storyline mentor.^[1] He made his in-ring debut on the March 2 episode of NXT in a tag team match with his mentor Hardy, against the team of William Regal and Skip Sheffield. Gabriel and Hardy won the match when Gabriel pinned Regal, making him the first rookie to pin a pro on the show.^[14][15] He went on to defeat Wade Barrett the following week, before suffering his first defeat on the March 16 episode of NXT, when he and Hardy were defeated by CM Punk and Darren Young.^[15][16] On March 30, in the first Pros Poll, Gabriel was ranked third behind Daniel Bryan (first) and Wade Barrett (second).^[17] Before the first elimination, Gabriel won the Rookie Challenge earning immunity from elimination in the following Pros Poll.^[18] In that Poll, Gabriel remained in third place behind Wade Barrett (who was moved to first) and David Otunga (second).^[19] In the season finale on the June 1 episode of NXT, Gabriel was the first eliminated, finishing in third place overall in the competition.^[20]

Nexus and The Corre (2010–2011)[link]

Gabriel (second from left) with the rest of The Nexus at SummerSlam.

On the June 7 episode of Raw, Gabriel and the other season one NXT rookies turned heel by interfering in the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking both competitors, the announcing team and Justin Roberts, the ring announcer, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment.^[21] On the June 14 episode of Raw the rookies (excluding Daniel Bryan who had been released) attacked General Manager Bret Hart, when he refused to give them contracts.^[22] At the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, the seven rookies interfered in the WWE Championship match, as a result costing Cena the championship. The following week on Raw, Vince McMahon fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed the seven season one NXT rookies to contracts.^[23] The following week, the group was named The Nexus.^[24] On the July 12 episode of Raw, The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, a six–on–one handicap match against John Cena, which they won when Gabriel pinned Cena.^[25] The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam. Gabriel was one of the final two Nexus members in the match, but Cena's team won when Cena eliminated Gabriel and then Barrett to win the match.^[26]

In October 2010, Cena was forced to join The Nexus as a result of losing to Barrett at Hell in a Cell, and at the following pay-per-view, Cena and Otunga won the WWE Tag Team Championship.^[27][28] On the October 25 episode of Raw, Barrett made a tag team match, with Gabriel and Heath Slater facing Otunga and Cena for the championship. Gabriel and Slater won when Barrett ordered Otunga to allow Slater to pin him, becoming the new Tag Team Champions.^[4][29] Gabriel and Slater held the championship for nearly two months, before losing it to Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov in a four-way elimination match also involving The Usos and Mark Henry and Yoshi Tatsu on the December 6 episode of Raw.^[30] Gabriel and Slater received a rematch for the championship at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on December 19, but lost by disqualification when Nexus member Michael McGillicutty interfered.^[31]

On the January 10, 2011, episode of Raw Gabriel and Slater refused to take part in new Nexus leader CM Punk's initiation and walked away from the group.^[32] The following day, at the tapings of the January 14 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater helped their former leader Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson attack Big Show.^[33][34] The following week, Gabriel, Slater, Barrett, and Jackson announced they had formed The Corre, and later that night Gabriel defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge in a non-title match, following interference from the other members of The Corre.^[35][36] After winning a non-title match against the champions Kozlov and Marella on the February 4 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater received a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship two weeks later, but lost via disqualification when the other members of The Corre interfered.^[37][38] They received a rematch at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 20 and defeated Marella and Kozlov to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the second time.^[5][39] The following night on Raw, Gabriel and Slater lost the championship to John Cena and The Miz, but won the championship back minutes later after Barrett invoked The Corre's rematch clause, and The Miz turned on Cena.^[6][40] During this time, The Corre had continued to feud with The Big Show, and at WrestleMania XXVII in April the team of The Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, and Kofi Kingston defeated The Corre.^[41] At the April 19 taping of SmackDown, the duo of Gabriel and Slater lost the Tag Team Championship to the team of Kane and The Big Show. In a backstage segment following the match, Gabriel was attacked by Slater, who thought Gabriel blamed him for their loss.^[42][43]

On the May 6 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel, Barrett, and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group.^[44] The three remaining members of The Corre feuded with Jackson until the June 10 episode of SmackDown, when Barrett walked out on Gabriel and Slater during a six-man tag team match against Jackson and The Usos, causing Gabriel and Slater to proclaim the end of The Corre.^[45][46][47] Gabriel continued to ally himself with Slater despite the dissolution of The Corre, and the duo began a feud with The Usos. On the June 17 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater were defeated by The Usos, but defeated them in a rematch the following week.^[48][49] They were again defeated by The Usos on the July 8 episode of SmackDown, resulting in the pair arguing in the ring.^[50] The following week, their team was ended when they faced off in a match won by Gabriel and Gabriel transitioned to a face (fan favorite) character.^[51][52]